This invention relates to a connector assembly comprising a connector socket and a connector plug useful for interconnecting and disconnecting components of various types of electronic equipment.
Connectors known as mini-DIN type have heretofore been used extensively on a section of a personal computer where a keyboard is to be connected with the mainframe, for example. FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of the construction of a conventional mini-DIN connector socket 100 while FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the construction of a typical mini-DIN connector plug 200.
The mini-DIN connector socket 100 comprises a semicylindrical insulator body 110 having its outer periphery covered with a metallic cover 120. The insulator body 110 has a plurality of contact accommodating apertures 111 formed in the front face (plugging-in/out face) thereof where there are accommodated contacts (not shown) from the rear ends of which the respective terminals 112 lead out and depend downwardly. The insulator body 110 further has a key hole 113 formed in the plugging-in/out face (front face) and an annular groove 117 extending generally along the outer periphery of the plugging-in/out face. Keyways 114, 115 and 116 are formed in the peripheral surface of the plugging-in/out face adjacent the annular groove 117 so as to extend in a longitudinal direction parallel to the direction in which the plug is inserted in and pulled out.
The face of the insulator body 110 from which the terminals 112 lead out is a flat surface which serves as a mount surface for mounting the connector socket 100 onto a printed-circuit board. Extending from the metallic cover 120 in the same direction as the terminals 112 are tabs 121 adapted to be inserted into the printed-circuit board (not shown) and soldered onto a conductor pattern (grounding conductor) to thereby electrically and mechanically connect the connector socket 100 with the printed-circuit board.
The connector plug 200 comprises a columnar insulator body 220 housed in a tubular metallic cover 210. A plurality of contact pins 230 extend from the front face of the insulator body 220 (the surface which will face the front face of the connector socket 100 for connection therewith). Mounted over the rear end portion of the metallic cover 210 is an insulation cover 240 which in turn protects the connections between the contact pins 230 and a cable (not shown).
It will be appreciated that upon inserting the connector plug 200 into the connector socket 100, the contact pins 230 are inserted into the contact accommodating apertures 111 of the connector socket 100 to bring the connector plug 200 and the connector socket 100 into electrical connection.
The metallic cover 210 of the connector plug 200 is formed in its peripheral wall with circumferentially spaced keys 211, 212, 213 protruding inwardly from the outer surface thereof. The key 211 complementarily engages with the keyway 114 of the connector socket 100 and similarly the keys 212 and 213 mates with keyways 115 and 116, respectively of the connector socket 100 to thereby determine the angular mating orientation of the connector plug 200 with respect to the connector socket.
Further extending from the face of the insulator body 220 of the connector plug 200 from which the contact pins 230 extend is a key 221 formed integrally with the insulator body 220 which complementarily engages with the key hole 113 formed in the front face of the insulator body 110 of the connector socket 100 to ensure that wrong connection is prevented between a connector socket 100 and a connector plug 200 which are different with respect to the number and/or arrangement of the contact pins.
As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the prior art mini-DIN connector, particularly the connector socket 100 is configured such that the insulator body 110 is formed with contact accommodating apertures 111 in which contacts are accommodated. As is commonly well known, however, there are difficulties with forming closely spaced apertures. Consequently, one problem with this construction is that the arrangement in which contact is established by contacting the rod-like contact pins 230 with the contacts in the contact accommodating apertures 111 imposes a limitation on reducing the spacings between the contact accommodating apertures 111, resulting in an undesirable restriction to the increase and variation in the number of contact pins.
The cylindrical connector socket 100 and connector plug 200 are connected by mating the key hole 113 with the key 221 in order to ensure proper connection between only the same type connector socket and connector plug with respect to the number and arrangement of the contact pins and to avoid erroneous connection. However, the arrangement of the contact pins has heretofore prevented the designer from adopting many different combinations of the key hole 113 with the key 221.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a connector assembly comprising a connector socket and a connector plug which allows for easily varying the number of contact pins as well as increasing the number.
It is another object of this invention to provide a connector socket, a connector plug and a connector assembly which provides for discriminating many types of connectors to prevent connection between wrong types of connectors.
The connector according to this invention includes a contact support in the form of a planar plate provided in either the connector socket or the connector plug. A plurality of narrow strip contacts or thin line contacts extending in the connector plugging-in/out direction are arranged in juxtaposition with each other along at least one of the opposed plate surfaces of the support such that the narrow strip contacts may be brought into resilient contact with corresponding resilient or spring contacts provided in the other of the connector socket and the connector plug to establish connection between the connector socket and the connector plug.
According to one form of the connector socket of this invention, the connector socket includes a planar plate-like contact support disposed centrally inside of a generally cylindrical groove mating with a complementarily tubular metallic cover of a corresponding connector plug in which a plurality of narrow strip contacts extending in the connector plugging-in/out direction are arranged in juxtaposition with each other along at least one of the opposed plate surfaces of the support, and a key boss is disposed in the cylindrical groove in opposing relation with the at least one plate surface of the support so as to prevent wrong connection between different types of connector socket and connector plug.
According to one form of the connector plug of this invention, the connector plug includes an insulator body fitted in a tubular metallic cover in which the insulator body is formed in its front face with a cutout slit extending diametrically of the metallic cover, contacts extending in the connector plugging-in/out direction are arranged in diametrically spaced and juxtaposed relation with each other on at least one of the opposed flat surfaces of the slit, and a keyway is formed in the front face of the insulator body on the side of the at least one flat surface of the slit so as to prevent connection between different types of connector socket and connector plug.